Earlier this month the Baseball Writers Association of America rendered their first in what will be many verdicts on the possible future Hall of Fame chances for Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and others. Before and after the unveiling of the vote that did not admit a single player into the Hall for 2013, there was a flurry of media attention. Many writers chose to explain their ballot with a pre-emptive strike. Some came out very strongly against suspected steroid users, and others decided to side with the “I am not going to ignore an entire generation of baseball” camp.

I’m sure many at Major League Baseball headquarters were hoping for at least some amount of a respite before the next player tests positive for a banned substance, or the eventuality of next year’s Cooperstown induction. Sadly, this was not to be the case.

“A Miami Clinic Supplies Drugs to Sports’ Biggest Names”

On Tuesday, Miami New Times columnist Tim Elfrink knocked the lid off of the newest steroid scandal that will generate news in the sports world for years to come. Elfrink tells the story of Tony Bosch, the owner of Biogenesis, a Miami area “anti-aging” clinic, and his dealings with the city’s elite and international sports figures. The information seems extremely well researched, and implicates Bosch and his colleagues in a number of shady and blatantly illegal acts. Biogenesis is now closed, but that won’t stop the fallout from this intriguing story.

For those of you who are Blue Jays fans, you probably already know that Melky Cabrera came up very prominently. Fortunately for the Jays’ new LF, the information is not new, and does not indicate any use of performance enhancing drugs since the 50-game suspension he served last season while a member of the San Francisco Giants.

All that being said, MLB’s team of anti-doping investigators will be keeping a very close eye on Cabrera.

INSERT ALEX RODRIGUEZ “ROID” PUN HERE

Yankees star, Alex Rodriguez, seen here in October of last year, won’t be getting microphones out of his face any time soon. Photograph by: Andrew Burton/Getty

Far more intriguing is the relationship between Biogenesis and former All-Star slugger Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees 3B will have a lot to explain as more details are revealed. Elfrink’s research shows notations in clinic records indicating a cocktail of performance enhancing drugs used by A-Rod such as “1.5/1.5 HGH (sports perf.) creams test., glut., MIC, supplement, sports perf. Diet,” and “Test. cream… troches prior to workout… and GHRP… IGF-1… pink cream.” These notations are made as recently as 2009.

Elfrink’s research shows notations in clinic records indicating a cocktail of performance enhancing drugs used by A-Rod such as “1.5/1.5 HGH (sports perf.) creams test., glut., MIC, supplement, sports perf. Diet,” and “Test. cream… troches prior to workout… and GHRP… IGF-1… pink cream.” These notations are made as recently as 2009.

It’s well-established that Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs between 2001 and 2003, then a member of the Texas Rangers. He has stated on numerous occasions that he hasn’t used these substances since then, which begs the question “why does Alex Rodriguez feature so prominently in Biogenesis’ records.” For his part, A-Rod has flatly denied the accusation. Staff at the clinic have stated that they never saw any athletes in the facility, but that Bosch often spoke about how “tight” he was with the Yankees’ star.

This puts the Yankees in a very sticky situation. They traded for Rodriguez in 2004, before he admitted to using PEDs in a 2009 interview with 60 Minutes’ Katie Couric. You can be sure that members of the Yankees’ executive had a very frank discussion with their $100+ million man, ensuring that he understood the team’s unwillingness to bathe in a sea of bad press should Rodriguez need to serve a PED-related suspension. To that end, the baseball rumour mill is abuzz with stories of the team attempting to void or in some way extricate itself from the reported $114M still owed to the player.

Even if it’s proved that Rodriguez has contravened League PED policy, I’m not sure how easy it will be for the team to void his contract. Joel Sherman of the New York Post states that the team could find success by proving Rodriguez broke the provision in his contract that does not allow for him to seek medical treatment from non-team medical staff without permission. Alex Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests that may not be necessary. If Rodriguez’ current hip injury keeps him out of the entire 2013 seasons, the team could pay out up to 85% of the salary through insurance claims.

You can be certain that the Yankees would love to be rid of the aging star who it is looking less likely to be an eventual Hall of Fame member. His play over the last few years has dipped considerably, and he hasn’t put up a monster year commensurate with his enormous salary since 2007. Even though he’s playing above replacement level player status, he’s certainly not worth the $20M-$28M he’s due per year between 2013 and 2017. The Bronx Bombers would dance a wee jig of happiness if they can get out from under the dead weight. It’s a well-known fact that the team is attempting to slip beneath the $189M luxury tax threshold for 2014. Baseball-Reference estimates the Yanks’ 2013 payroll to be in the neighbourhood of $208M. Removing A-Rod’s $28M drops them to $180M, a cushion they’ll most likely spend on some brand new shiny toys.

Padres’ catcher, Yasmani Grandal, will serve out his suspension starting at the beginning of the 2013 season. Photograph by: Denis Poroy/Getty

In any case, the fallout from Elfrink’s work will follow Rodriguez and the other accused players for some time. Padres’ catcher Yasmani Grandal will begin his 50-game suspension at the outset of the 2013 season, and Athletics’ Pitcher Bartolo Colon has already served his punishment. The US Drug Enforcement Agency and Federal prosecutors are working on further charges, though they are gun-shy after the failures in fully prosecuting Clemens and Bonds. Will they be able to catch up to Alex Rodriguez? Will they even try?

WON’T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!

The steroid era is by no means complete. With hormone and steroid technology reaching new heights, and gene doping on the horizon, it’s unlikely we’ll see an end to the concept of players attempting to achieve an unfair edge over their competitors. It’s very easy to dismiss all this as “cheaters cheating against cheaters,” but that mantra ignores the implications of player health. And I’m not just referring to the health of the players at the big league level in professional sports. PED use is found as far down as the high school ranks. It’s one thing to accept the behaviour of consenting adults who choose to use substances that may be damaging to them. It’s another when young players, not yet in the pro ranks, feel that the ingestion of these substances are a necessity if they should wish to enjoy a similar career.

As a coach of youth athletes, I have no interest in a situation where players feel the need to mortgage the future of their health for what is a small chance at superstardom. The only way to mitigate these dangerous encounters is to attempt to level the playing field for everyone. While we surely will fail at a complete removal of PEDs from the sports landscape, that doesn’t mean that we, as a people, should not try.

Toronto-based baseball blogger; lover of wheat beer and great vodka; fervent Secular Humanist; that guy you meet at a party who seems boorish and loud, then maybe he redeems himself, but eventually you... read more see your first impression was accurate. Follow me on Twitter: @LoRichTimes.View author's profile